1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wiring holding unit for holding wiring.
2. Related Art
Various electronic equipments are mounted on an automobile serving as a mobile body. Therefore, wire harnesses are installed in the automobile so as to supply electric power from a power source or the like to the electronic equipments and also to transmit control signals from a computer or the like to the electronic equipments. The wire harness comprises a plurality of wires, and connectors secured to end portions of the wires.
The wire comprises an electrically-conductive conductor, and a sheath portion which is made of an insulative synthetic resin and covers the conductor. The wire is a so-called sheathed wire. The connector comprises electrically-conductive metal terminals, and an insulative connector housing. The metal terminal is secured to the end portion or other portion of the wire, and is electrically connected to the conductor of the wire. The connector housing is formed into a box-like shape, and receives the metal terminals.
One example of holding members for the wire harness is the type which holds the wire harness received in a generally cylindrical corrugated tube (see JP-A-2004-166403 Publication). Referring to this wire harness holding member, a plurality of grooves are formed in an outer periphery of the corrugated tube, and the plurality of grooves are arranged at equal intervals in a direction of an axis of the corrugated tube, and each groove is formed over an entire periphery of the corrugated tube. With this construction, the corrugated tube has a generally bellows-shape, and reduces damage applied from other parts to the wire harness.
The holding member has a generally cylindrical shape, and the corrugated tube is passed through the holding member, so that the wire harness is held by the holding member through the corrugated tube. A generally annular plate-like rib is formed within the holding member, and this rib is inserted in the groove of the corrugated tube, thereby preventing the axial movement of the corrugated tube relative to the holding member.
Biting projections are formed within the holding member, and the biting projections bite into the outer periphery of the corrugated tube, thereby preventing the rotation of the corrugated tube relative to the holding member.
One known corrugated-tube clamp (which corresponds to a gripping member) for the passage of a corrugated tube therethrough is disclosed in JP-A-2004-166403 Publication. As shown in FIG. 7, the corrugated-tube clamp 122 includes a body portion 128 in the form of a plate of a generally C-shaped cross-section, and a pivotal portion 130 in the form of a plate of a generally J-shaped cross-section, and the body portion 128 and the pivotal portion 130 define generally halves of a passage hole 124, respectively. Generally halves of each of limitation plates 126 are formed on the body portion 128 and the pivotal portion 130, respectively.
The corrugated-tube clamp 122 has a hinge portion 132 serving as an engagement portion, and this hinge portion 132 is in the form of a thin plate of a generally U-shaped cross-section (or a thin plate of a generally V-shaped cross-section). One end of the hinge portion 132 is connected to a side end of the passage hole 124 at one end of the body portion 128, while the other end of the hinge portion 132 is connected to a side end of the passage hole 124 at one end of the pivotal portion 130, and therefore the body portion 128 and the pivotal portion 130 are connected together by the hinge portion 132. The hinge portion 132 projects outwardly of the passage hole 124.
A rigid claw 134 is formed integrally on a central portion of the other end portion of the pivotal portion 130, and this rigid claw 134 projects perpendicularly from the other end portion of the pivotal portion 130, and a distal end of the rigid claw 134 projects toward the passage hole 124.
A mounting tube 136 of a generally rectangular tubular shape is formed integrally at the other end of the body portion 128, and an internal hole formed through the mounting tube 136 extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the axis of the passage hole 124.
An elastic claw 140 is formed on a side wall of the mounting tube 136 disposed immediately adjacent to the passage hole 124, and a distal end of the elastic claw 140 projects toward the inside of the mounting tube 136 (that is, in a direction away from the passage hole 124). The elastic claw 140 is elastic except its distal end. Here, when the distal end of the elastic claw 140 is pressed by the distal end of the rigid claw 134, the elastic claw 140 is elastically deformed, and the rigid claw 134 is inserted into the mounting tube 136 through one end thereof, so that the distal end of the rigid claw 134 is engaged with (or caught by) the distal end of the elastic claw 140. As a result, the passage hole 124 is closed as shown in FIG. 7B.
The engagement of the distal end of the rigid claw 134 with the distal end of the elastic claw 140 is canceled, and then the pivotal portion 130 is pivotally moved relative to the body portion 128, and by doing so, the passage hole 124 can be opened as shown in FIG. 7A. In this condition, the corrugated tube can be inserted into and removed from the passage hole 124.
In the above corrugated-tube clamp 122, however, the pivotal portion 130 which is opened through the hinge portion 132 is pivotally moved to fit on the cylindrical corrugated tube, and the rigid claw 134 is brought into engagement with the elastic claw 140, so that the corrugated tube is gripped by the body portion 128 and the pivotal portion 130. Therefore, it has been difficult to effect the mounting operation from one direction because of the necessity of the pivotally-moving operation for the pivotal portion 130, etc., and therefore it has been difficult for this structure to meet a demand for an automatic production by a machine.